www.washingtontimes.com Topics: Afghan Governmenthttp://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/afghan-government/?utm_medium=RSS2014-12-20T15:49:51-05:00Obama releases four detainees from Guantanamo Bay; men sent to Afghanistan2014-12-20T15:49:51-05:00Nedra Picklerhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/20/us-sends-4-afghans-back-home-from-guantanamo/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>WASHINGTON &mdash; The Pentagon said Saturday that four Afghans from the Guantanamo Bay detention center have been returned to their home country in what U.S. officials are citing as a sign of their confidence in new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.</p> <p>Obama administration officials said they worked quickly to fulfill the ...Audit: State Dept. fails to track billions of U.S. dollars in Afghan anti-drug efforts2014-11-14T12:34:56-05:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/14/audit-state-dept-fails-to-track-billions-of-us-dol/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Washington has spent more than $7.5 billion to battle the drug trade in Afghanistan over the past decade, but the State Department has failed to create a system for tracking whether the government&rsquo;s efforts have had any impact, the department&rsquo;s internal watchdog said Friday.</p> <p>In addition, the State Department&rsquo;s Bureau ...US gen: Corruption is top threat in Afghanistan2014-04-30T16:04:07-04:00DEB RIECHMANNhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/30/us-gen-corruption-is-top-threat-in-afghanistan/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p> WASHINGTON (AP) - A former commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said Wednesday that corruption, not the Taliban, is the worst threat to the future of the war-torn country.</p> <p> "For too long we focused our attention solely on the Taliban as the existential threat to Afghanistan," ...USAID documents cite Hillary Clinton in chaos of Afghan aid2014-04-20T20:13:07-04:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/20/usaid-documents-cite-hillary-clinton-in-chaos-of-a/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>In internal government documents with potential repercussions for the 2016 presidential election, top officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development repeatedly cited former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for setting into motion a policy to waive restrictions on who could receive U.S. aid in Afghanistan, resulting in millions ...Secret U.S. assessments show Afghanistan not ready to govern on own2014-04-15T20:57:30-04:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/15/secret-us-assessments-show-afghanistan-not-ready-g/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p class="p1">Confidential&nbsp;U.S. assessments, which the State Department tried to hide from the public, show nearly all Afghan Cabinet ministries are woefully ill-prepared to govern after the U.S. withdraws its troops, often describing the gaps in knowledge, capability and safeguards as "critical" and describing an infrastructure in danger of collapsing if ...U.S. fears Afghan services may be cut as corruption sharply reduces customs taxes2014-04-14T20:48:08-04:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/14/us-fears-afghan-services-may-be-cut-as-corruption-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>U.S. officials are deeply concerned that corruption is reducing Afghanistan's collection of customs taxes by as much as half, shorting the country's primary source of revenue and raising concerns that the government may need to cut critical services in order to close budget shortfalls.</p> <p>The U.S. Embassy in Kabul has ...Rep. Jason Chaffetz questions $175 million USAID 'slush fund' for Afghans2014-04-13T20:04:07-04:00Guy Taylorhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/13/jason-chaffetz-questions-175-million-usaid-slush-f/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The chairman of a key House oversight panel is calling for an investigation into what he says looks like a $175 million "slush fund" set up by the U.S. Agency for International Development to entice Afghan government officials into embracing Western-style reforms.</p> <p>USAID officials said they set up the U.S.-Afghan ...Will 'zero option' in Afghanistan cause chaos?2014-03-01T04:07:39-05:00ROBERT BURNShttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/1/will-zero-option-in-afghanistan-cause-chaos/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p> WASHINGTON (AP) - If President Barack Obama were to decide to leave no military advisory force in Afghanistan next year, would Afghan security unravel to the point of enabling a civil war, a Taliban takeover and a return of al-Qaida in such numbers as to pose a 9/11-type threat?</p> ...The debate over post-war Afghanistan2014-02-28T14:31:47-05:00ROBERT BURNShttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/feb/28/the-debate-over-post-war-afghanistan/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p> WASHINGTON (AP) - If President Barack Obama were to decide to leave no military advisory force in Afghanistan next year, would Afghan security unravel to the point of enabling a civil war, a Taliban takeover and a return of al-Qaida in such numbers as to pose a 9/11-type threat?</p> ...U.S. denounces Afghanistan’s order to free 37 Taliban-tied inmates2014-01-27T06:51:05-05:00Cheryl K. Chumleyhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/27/us-denounces-afghanistans-order-free-37-taliban-ti/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The United States issued a harsh criticism Monday against the Afghan government over the planned release of 37 inmates from Bagram prison who have been deemed "dangerous individuals" with ties to Taliban terrorism by American military authorities.</p> <p>The inmates are included in a group of 88 who were held by ...Families suspect SEAL Team 6 crash was inside job on worst day in Afghanistan2013-10-20T22:21:15-04:00Rowan Scarboroughhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/20/families-suspect-seal-team-6-crash-was-inside-job-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Questions haunt the families of Extortion 17, the 2011 helicopter mission in Afghanistan that suffered the most U.S. military deaths in a single day in the war on terrorism.</p> <p><span>The investigative file made available to The Washington Times shows that the helicopter's landing zone was not properly vetted for threats ...Afghan prosecutors faulted for lax corruption efforts2013-10-02T11:59:00-04:00Phillip Swartshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/afghan-prosecutors-faulted-lax-corruption-efforts/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>In a country rife with corruption, Afghanistan's top prosecutors aren't doing enough to combat the top-level officials committing the crimes, said the chief U.S. watchdog in that nation.</p> <p>"The [Afghan] Attorney General's Office lacks the political will to prosecute high-level, corrupt officials," said a report by the Special Inspector General ...Pakistan releases one of Taliban's founding members from prison2013-09-21T09:48:18-04:00http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/21/pakistan-releases-one-talibans-founding-members-pr/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>ISLAMABAD &mdash; Pakistan released its highest-ranking Afghan Taliban prisoner on Saturday in an effort to jump-start Afghanistan's struggling peace process, Pakistani officials said, but some doubt he will make much of a difference.</p> <p>The Afghan government has long demanded that Pakistan free Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's former deputy ...Watchdog warns more than $1 billion going to fees and taxes in Afghanistan2013-07-19T10:14:14-04:00Phillip Swartshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/19/watchdog-warns-more-than-1-billion-going-to-fees-a/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>So much for thanks: As the U.S. accelerates its exit from a decadelong, $100 billion reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, American generosity is getting an unwelcome penalty in the form of taxes and fees imposed by President Hamid Karzai&rsquo;s government on U.S. contractors supporting the rebuilding effort.</p> <p>Everything from exiting military ...Afghanistan's thanks for U.S. generosity: Karzai's regime issues harsh exit levies2013-07-18T22:04:08-04:00Phillip Swarts - The Washington Timeshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jul/18/afghanistans-thanks-for-us-generosity-harsh-taxes-/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>So much for thanks: As the U.S. accelerates its exit from a decadelong, $100 billion reconstruction effort in Afghanistan, American generosity is getting an unwelcome penalty in the form of taxes and fees imposed by President Hamid Karzai's government on U.S. contractors supporting the rebuilding effort.</p> <p>Everything from exiting military ...U.S., Afghan officials to open talks with Taliban2013-06-18T11:34:00-04:00Ashish Kumar Senhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/18/us-afghan-officials-open-talks-taliban/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>The Taliban announced Tuesday that after nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan they are ready for talks with the United States, as senior Obama administration officials said discussions with the Islamic militants who sheltered Osama bin Laden would start within days.</p> <p>Earlier Tuesday, another milestone was reached as Afghan ...Easy pickings: Afghans wrongly taxed U.S. construction projects by $1 billion, audit finds2013-05-14T10:05:53-04:00Shaun Watermanhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/may/14/easy-pickings-afghans-wrongly-taxed-us-constructio/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Afghanistan's cash-strapped government has levied nearly $1 billion in suspect taxes and fees on U.S.-funded reconstruction projects and military contractors over the past five years, often in violation of bilateral agreements with Washington, a new audit by a U.S. government watchdog found.</p> <p>"U.S. agencies need to have assurance from the ...U.S.-built hospitals in Afghanistan unsustainable after pullout, watchdog warns2013-04-30T17:43:52-04:00Phillip Swartshttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/30/us-built-hospitals-in-afghanistan-unsustainable-af/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>Hospitals that Americans are building to serve local populations in Afghanistan may not be sustainable after U.S. troops leave the country in 2014, the chief U.S. watchdog for Afghan recontruction bluntly warns.</p><p>The two hospitals the U.S. is currently building in Gardez and Khair Khot "have estimated operation and maintenance costs ...Taliban attacks show Afghan insurgents' resilience2013-01-21T13:57:15-05:00Amir Shah and Patrick Quinnhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/21/taliban-attacks-show-afghan-insurgents-resilience/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) &mdash; <span>Taliban</span> suicide bombers carried out a brazen attack in the Afghan capital Monday, the second in less than a week and a sign that insurgents are determined to keep fighting despite recent overtures of peace from the United States and the Afghan government.</p> <p>The nine-hour assault ...U.S. envoy: Taliban peace process stuck 2013-01-17T11:18:26-05:00Patrick Quinnhttp://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/17/us-envoy-taliban-peace-process-stuck/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS<p>KABUL, <span>Afghanistan</span> (AP) &mdash; The United States wants serious peace negotiations with the <span>Taliban</span> to begin, but it has not been possible to get the process under way, the American ambassador to <span>Afghanistan</span> said Thursday.</p> <p>James Cunningham said it was important for the Afghan government to get the talks started ...